Recently, there has been much fanfare about the importance of back-up singers. In fact there is a new documentary, Twenty Feet from Stardom, that pays tribute to these nameless though gifted performers who stood 20 feet from everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Michael Jackson. I have noticed and admire a single trait of these back-up singers.
Ever felt a bit out of control of your time, your day…your life?! In two and half words – who hasn’t?! This past month, many of my clients have been juggling with their over crowded lives with sending kids to summer camp, graduations, weddings, mid-year results, and keeping all their plates spinning. How do we stay balanced, together, and aligned with how and where we want to spend our time?
Okay folks, let’s be honest. We have all compared ourselves to others at one point or another. The reason the phrase “I’ll have what she’s having” (from that fabulous movie ‘When Harry Meets Sally’) resonates with so many…is that it is not ONLY about what Meg Ryan was acting out!! We compare and contrast ourselves with others around lots of things. We often do this to gauge how we are doing based on what we see others doing.
This week, I am featuring a guest blog post from Adrian Wood, VP Business Development for Shadowmatch USA. Adrian discusses the concept of “servant leadership” in growing companies and the difference it makes for managers and companies that are trying to scale their teams and organizations.
Recently ousted CEO of JCPenney, Ron Johnson, was slammed for relying too much on intuition versus hard data as he led the revamping of the JCPenney stores. Most will agree that JCP’s new stores are very creative and well done…yet, the company is in a free fall. What went wrong?
Recently after giving a keynote on my book “Is This Seat Taken?” and the power of the random encounter, a friend told me about a fabulous book which covers a related concept. This book emphasizes that having an effective ‘touchpoint’ is about really connecting, being present – eyeball to eyeball – with another. He summed his perspective of effectively engaging into the ‘4 A’s’.
Recently, one of my clients in a desperate attempt to remedy one of his ‘blind spots’ simply said: “Can you just give me a book to read so that I can get over this?”
How many times do we find ourselves seeking an ‘easy button’ to navigate through gnarly growing pains?! Darn it – if there were only an easy button to help us on our ‘self-improvement’ journey as leaders! Well, there isn’t.
I have been with friends and colleagues recently who are simply at the end of their rope. The tiniest thing can set them off – and they say and do things they later regret.
So, how can we ‘cool our jets’ when we have a ton of pressure on us?
Recently I was asked by a client to help him improve his communication capabilities. English is his second language, and he wanted to be sure his messages were coming across in the most effective manner. Through my work with this particular client, my attention to language, tone, and inflection heightened; and I became painfully aware of the shortcomings of many of us in the way in which we speak.
Most of us are familiar with the philosophy of “having the right folks in the right seats on the bus” when we are building our teams and organizations. We all have the intention of hiring good folks; yet, I would wager that all of us have made poor “people choices” at some point in our career. What can we learn from a highly successful entrepreneur about this charge for aspiring leaders?